The Gardner Girls 2 month update

Eight weeks have quickly come and gone since the Friday evening birth of our little girls. I still can't believe God chose me to be their Mom and that I have TWO children! Life is currently amazing, sometimes stressful, and a little bit of craziness that I wouldn't trade for anything else in this world!

Liliana aka Lily aka Lily Bug

9 lbs 12 ounces 22 3/4 inches long

Lily is currently our little wide eyed child. She is full of life and doesn't want to miss a thing.

At 6 weeks old, she moved to size 1 diapers and out of newborn.

 (I may have teared up a bit!)

She also started eating 4 ounces at every feed due to this face...

 

Right at about 7 weeks, she started to wear size 0-3 month outfits and can fit into 3 month Carter outfits.

 

At 8 weeks, I could really notice her holding her head up really well and is starting to try and army crawl her way around...if she could only figure out how to get her arms moving at the same time! 

 

 

She likes looking around, staring at her sister, and burps like a champ. She has big blue eyes and blondish hair, that might have a slight reddish tint to it. She has loves her bath time, walks in the park with sister, and hanging out with her Dad. She recently discovered her love for music and will fall asleep in her swing.

Here's what Lily has been up to this month:

Snuggles with Dad

 

Busting out of her swaddle

Hanging in her new chair

Hanging out with Poppy, cousin Vaida, and her sister

She is going to love showing this picture to Maddie when she's older
 

 

Madelyn aka Maddie aka Maddie Rose

9 lbs 2 ounces 19.5 inches

 

Maddie is our quiet child (until she's hungry!) She is smaller in weight and length than her "older" sister and still acts very much like a newborn, which I'm 100% okay with :)

She looks a lot like her Poppy (my Dad) and loves when he comes over to visit and snuggle.

 

She is going to have dark olive skin, dark hair, and blue eyes.

 

 

She loves laying on her stomach and will lay/sleep on her Boppy for hours.

(supervised- of course!)

 

 

 

Maddie tends to let her sister steal the show. She is curious and will sit and stare while on her activity mat or in her Rock n' Play. Her feet and hands are always moving. She still dislikes diaper changes with a passion but loves bath time.

 Here's what Maddie has been up to this month:

Lounging on the couch

Great Grandpa comes every week.. and we love it!

1st time in her Bumbo chair

Sometimes I cry just so Daddy will hold me... even though I'm fine :)

Sleepy girl



Sister Time





First time in their big girl stroller



Ready for bed with sister

Activity mat time

Our 2 month photo shoot didn't go as planned.
Both girls were super sleepy and not happy campers!



 I may attempt new pictures soon... or just wait til next month :)
Thanks for reading their two month update! If you missed their 1 month update or my 6 week post partum update... check it out!
 

 

My 6 week postpartum update! :)

Postpartum with twins has been an up and down journey- much like pregnancy with twins! There were MANY things that I wasn't prepared for about being postpartum...some good, some bad, some you just don't talk about (which is why I wasn't prepared I guess! LOL)

Here's what surprised me

1. Going to the bathroom after childbirth would not only be an ordeal, it would be a good 10 minute process or so. There are sprays, foams, pads, and very large underwear. Thank goodness for amazing nurses at St. Vincent's Women's Hospital :)

2. My weight didn't dramatically go down upon returning home from the hospital. I was SO excited to jump on the scale after having the girls. After gaining about 40+ pounds over the 9 months, I was ready to see that number finally go down for a change instead of up. Three days after they were born I jumped on the scale to see a 2 pound weight loss... yes, 2 pounds. I birthed over 10 pounds of babies, not to mention two placentas and whatever else comes out. I soon realized this was due to the large amount of IV fluids that were being pushed through me during my 24+ hours of labor. Luckily, I saw this number drop over the next 2-3 weeks.

3. Speaking of water weight... holy cankles! I was very fortunate to not have much swelling in my pregnancy, so when I looked down at my ankles the morning after I gave birth, I couldn't believe my eyes. After lots of water and trying to keep my feet elevated, the swelling went away in about a week.

4. I would still looked pregnant...very pregnant. I knew that my stomach would not bounce back overnight, but I wasn't prepared for a lady at Target to ask me when I was due just three days after having the girls. It took everything I had not to burst into tears...or smack her.

6 days postpartum

5. I couldn't imagine my life without my girls. It's almost like they have always been here in many ways, even though they are only 6 weeks old. They suddenly became my whole world and it's amazing. 

 

Physical Update:

 

I'm still waiting to be cleared by my doctor to be able to exercise. I have an appointment today and I'm very anxious to get the go ahead to get back to my workouts. Since about 3 weeks postpartum, I have taken daily walks with the girls. I started out very slowly as I was still recovering and have gradually increased my speed and time. Barry and I also purchased new Fitbit's which make getting my 10,000 steps a day more fun...and competitive. I also may have snuck in a couple of pushups, lunges, squats, and some upper body band exercises in the past week.

 (shh, don't tell doc)

6 weeks postpartum

 As I've happily lost most of the baby weight very quickly, my stomach/back area is my main focus/ "problem" area. My uterus is still not back to its original size, which is kinda frustrating but understandable seeing how large I was a short 6 weeks ago!

 

Here's some progression pics:

 





2 weeks postpartum





1 month postpartum



1 month post partum to 5 weeks post partum- after starting my Advocare Nursing Mom's Challenge



How did I lose the weight?

 

As of 6 weeks post partum I am down 38 pounds with about 5 more to go and lots of toning up to do. I think breastfeeding/pumping has a lot to do with how quickly the weight came off. My doctor told me I would be burning an extra 1,000 calories a day just from breastfeeding the girls! (That's my kind of workout!) 

 I was also very aware of how much weight I was gaining during my pregnancy and how quickly, which in turn has made losing the weight much easier. While I was pregnant, I stuck to my clean eating regimen 70%-80% of the time while still allowing myself a sweet treat when I wanted it. My workouts were put to a halt at 10 weeks when I was experiencing some complications. Although I struggled at times with not being able to workout, I took the time to rest, swim (ok, more like float), and continue with simple upper body exercises with 3-5 pound weights and light resistance bands. I happily enjoyed eating extra calories my body (and babies) needed without the guilt.

Since I knew I wouldn't be working out like I had hoped, my diet was even more important in not gaining excess weight and especially now while I continue to try and lose the last of the weight before I can exercise.

 

Here's an example of my typical postpartum diet:

 

Breakfast

1/2 cup of plain oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, vanilla Muscle Gain protein, and blueberries (with or without a banana)

 

Whole wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter and blackberry jelly...if time and the girls allow :)

Mango strawberry spark

Advocare's Catalyst, Probiotic & Thermoplus

 

AM Snack

Pure Protein bar
1/2 cup cottage cheese

 

Lunch

6 ounces of lean protein with steamed veggies

-OR-

spinach salad with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, chicken, and feta cheese

light dressing

Greek yogurt cup

 

PM Snack

My second spark
Hummus and carrots

-OR-

Protein Smoothie
 

Dinner

1 cup brown rice

6 ounces pork loin

Occasional glass of red wine

 

Dessert

Strawberries with light cool whip

-OR-

ice cream

Plus
LOTS of water. I keep a glass filled up all day long and refill it as needed

 

My postpartum diet is a balancing act to determine how many calories I need to continue to lose weight while keeping my milk supply up while breastfeeding.

(feeding twins is no joke!)

I'm excited to step things up a notch and continue to see progress as I strive for my healthy and fit #mombod :)

 

Lily and Maddie's 1 month update (May 2015)

Ever since I got pregnant I have had people tell me, "It goes by so fast!" but nothing can truly prepare you for how quickly your baby (or babies!) changes in just one month. My labor and delivery feels like a dream along with the first couple of weeks of the girls' lives.  It's amazing seeing their personalities come out and the little people they are becoming. Here's their 1 month update :)

Baby "A" : Liliana Margaret: 4/24/15- 6:54pm- 5 lbs 2 ounces- 19 inches 
1 month: 7 lbs 5 ounces

Lily was  always ready to be the first twin out. Baby A, or "Amy" as my Dad started to call her early on in my pregnancy, was head down and about as low as she could go. In the monthly ultrasounds, her nose would always appear smashed as she was pushing her way down and as far away from her sister as she could be. It shouldn't have come as a surprise then when she decided to jump start my labor at 34.5 weeks or that in her first picture she would be wide awake and ready to take on this big world.



The first picture of our girls

Lily's likes:

Eating

We discovered very early on that she was a great eater and loves her bottles. She has even been known to finish off her sister's bottle when Maddie has had enough.

Staring/Being awake

 At about 2-3 weeks we started to notice that she was staying awake a lot more between feeds and really focusing on our faces and anything bright.  

She loves looking at the dots on her Rock N' Play

 

Being held

I think both girls are guilty of this, which is why these moments happen.. and are my favorite!

They love their Daddy



Snuggles with Poppy... and sister are the best!

Momma and sissy snuggles

 

Lily's Dislikes:

 Napping

Taking after her father, she seems to think she is going to miss something if she falls asleep during the day.

Waiting for her sister to burp during feeds

When feeding both girls there comes a time where you must set down the bottles and burp them. Lily will kick and cry until her bottle is back in her mouth, while Maddie quietly waits her turn. She is working on learning the art of patience :)

 

 

Baby "B" : Madelyn Rose: 4/24/15- 7:09 pm- 4 lbs 15 ounces- 18.25 inches

1 month: 7 pounds 0.5 ounces

 

Maddie is our little fighter. After coming into this world weighing less than 5 pounds, she was the first baby that came home from the hospital on May 3rd . From what we have seen so far, I think Maddie will have skin that tans very easily and dark hair. Her eyes are currently blue, just like Lily's, and they don't appear to be changing colors anytime soon. From before she was born we thought she looks like my Dad and those traits are still very prominent. She has a distinct strawberry birthmark on her left bicep and a small hernia in her stomach, causing her belly button to stick out. The birthmark should stay, but her doctor thinks the hernia should heal itself by her 18 month checkup.

 

Maddie's likes:

Stare/Play with her sister

Each morning I place the girls together for some sister bonding time. Maddie will stare at Lily and watch her every move.

 

Having her hands by her face

Just like her 9 week ultrasound picture, Maddie likes her arms up by her ears/eyes and her legs Indian Style. This seems to be her comfort zone when she is trying to fall asleep or calm herself down.

 

Cat naps

Just like her Mom, she can easily fall asleep... anytime, anywhere. She usually doesn't fall asleep for too long, but seems to be the more relaxed of the two girls.

 

 

Maddie's Dislikes:

Finishing her bottle

Both girls are eating 100ml of breast milk (a little more than 3 ounces) every 3 hours during the day. Maddie will take her first 2 ounces like a champ and struggle to finish the last ounce during most feeds. This usually ends with Lily getting a little extra...notice the 5 ounce difference in weight lol.

Burping

Girlfriend seems to not want to give up the burps. She is starting to get a little better after taking some tips from Lily, but still makes us work for them.

Diaper changes

You would think she was being tortured when she is getting her diaper changed. Nothing we have tried has been successful to stop her crying, so instead we treat it as a pit stop and time how quickly we can get it done. 

 

And because you can never have too many pictures of little babies... here are their 1 month pictures I took in their nursery.

Maddie is on the left and Lily is on the right

 

 I'm so in love with my girls and our new family. I can't wait to continue to watch them grow over the coming months and years.
XoXo
Sarah